ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2021) Russia's energy company Rosneft began exploratory drilling at block 11 in Iraq's Kurdistan in 2020 and will later proceed to drilling at the ninth block, Rosneft Chief Geologist Andrey Polyakov told Sputnik.
"In Irqai Kurdistan, prospective drilling continues at the Bijeel field, block 11, which we began in 2020, later, exploratory drilling will begin at the Sheikh Adi field, block 9," Polyakov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Rosneft is currently implementing other projects in Iraq, as well as on the shelf of Egypt and Mozambique, Polyakov added. Apart from that, it plans to start prospective drilling at Myanmar's block EP-4.
Rosneft is an operator of the project in Iraq's Kurdistan that is aimed at ensuring commencement of five oil and gas blocks under production sharing agreements, which entered into force late in 2017. Rosneft's share totals 80 percent. The total recoverable oil reserves of the five blocks may amount to around 91 million tonnes (670 million barrels), according to conservative estimates.
This year's edition of SPIEF is taking place in-person from Wednesday through Saturday at St. Petersburg's ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Center. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, the umbrella media organization that includes such brands as Sputnik, RIA Novosti, InoSMI, and Baltnews, among others, is an official media partner of the country's major economic forum.
